Mozilla Firefox OS Phones Launch In Colombia and Venezuela

While Mozilla’s Firefox OS smartphones won’t be launching in the U.S. anytime soon, both the Alcatel One Touch and the ZTE Open are making their way to Latin America. The handsets will launch in Colombia and Venezuela through Movistar retail locations, and will launch in Brazil on Telefonica in Q4 2013.

Firefox OS phones have made their way to Europe, launching in Spain last July and in Poland shortly thereafter.

“Firefox OS powers the first smartphones built entirely on Web technologies and will stimulate an inspiring new wave of innovation for the Web. We are proud to work with partners like Telefonica which see the potential to deliver an experience for first time smartphone users which will delight them and really put the power of the Web in everyone’s hands.” – Jay Sullivan, Mozilla Chief Operating Officer

The aim of the HTML-5 based Firefox OS is to allow users in developing countries to be able to enter the smartphone market. The current Firefox OS handsets are decidedly entry-level, and will sell for around $100.

ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Fire and ZTE Open Firefox OS smartphones go on sale through Movistar in Colombia and Venezuela today

Today, Telefonica announced that the ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Fire and ZTE Open devices will go on sale in Colombia and Venezuela. Both devices are now available through Movistar stores and sales channels. Telefonica also announced that Firefox OS devices will launch in Brazil in Q4.

Firefox OS marks a significant milestone for the Web, enabling for the first time devices to be manufactured to totally open Web standards. These launches come just one month after the launch of the first Firefox OS smartphones in Spain, with Poland shortly after.

“Firefox OS powers the first smartphones built entirely on Web technologies and will stimulate an inspiring new wave of innovation for the Web,” says Jay Sullivan, Mozilla Chief Operating Officer. “We are proud to work with partners like Telefonica which see the potential to deliver an experience for first time smartphone users which will delight them and really put the power of the Web in everyone’s hands.”

Commenting on the launches, Yotam Ben-Ami, Director of Open Web Devices at Telefónica Digital said, “There is strong momentum building behind Firefox OS as we bring more devices to more of our markets. But this is just the beginning as the platform, content ecosystem and range of devices continues to expand. There is an inherent imbalance in the smartphone market at the moment and we believe that Firefox OS represents the best opportunity to restore balance and provide a more open smartphone experience to customers.”